Combination-case for flash-lights.



A. s. LYHNE.

COIMBIINATION CASE FOR FLASH LIGHTS..

APPLICATION FILED 00119.1915- L fi mfio Patented Jan.15,1918. H97 B0 H92 F2913 @MWXXW ,4 TTOR/VEV TNTTT sTnTns PATENT oTTTon ANKER S. LYHNE, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

COMBINATIOIF-CASE FOR FLASH-LIGHTS.

meas es,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANKER S. LYHNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Combination-Cases for F lash-Lights, of-

vided with a small electric glow lamp with a reflector, containing one or more storagebattery cells with which said lamp is in circuit, and having a switch by means of which the current may be turned on and ofl. The standard casing is generally of tubular form, designed to receive and snugly contain two or more standard cylindrical cells in tandem arrangement, and the trade demands casings of different cell capacities. WVhen the flashlight is intended for oceasional and qemporary uses, compactness is desired and a standard two-cell flashlight is demanded. When the lamp is to be used at frequent intervals or for a long continued period of time, a standard three-cell flashlight is called for. This has made it necessary for a dealer to carry an adequate stock of a plurality of sizes of casings.

The object of the present invention is the provision of a separately connected casing, one part containing the lamp and reflector and another the switch for making and breaking the circuit and a spring for holding the center contacts of the contained cells in engagement with each other and the lamp in circuit, and a casing-section of proper length adapted for interposition or substitution between said parts to increase the cellcapacity of the whole without the necessity of providing additional fastening means and without disturbing the functions of the lamp in one part and the switch and the spring in the other, whereby a dealer may readily make up from a relatively much smaller stock on hand standard or miners two-cell or three-cell flashlights, or the user by a small additional outlay may become possessed of a lamp which may be in a moment transformed from a two-cell to a three-cell flashlight, or vice versa.

My invention will be more readily under- Speeification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 19, 1915.

Patented Jan. is, rare,

Serial No. 56,737.

tion, in which- Figure 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section, showing a standard twocell flashlight. comprising two members of my novel combination case;

Fig. 2 an elevation of a tubular member detached, which may be substituted for the shorter tubular member in Fig. 1 to make a standard three-cell flashlight case;

Fig. 3 a view partly in elevation and partly in section showing two members of my novel flashlight case assembled, said members comprising, when united with the body member (shown in Fig. 1) a miners two-cell flashlight case, and

Fig. 4 is an elevation of a tubular member detached, which may be substituted for the shorter tubular member in Fig. 3 to make a miners three-cell flashlight case.

My present invention is a development and carrying forward of the invention of Letters Patent 1,183,310 granted to me May 16, 1916.

11 denotes a standard body or main section which is used with all the several cases that may be made up from my novel combination case. This body is provided with a closed end, indicated by 12, a screw thread near its other end and above the thread a sleeve 13 which just fits within the several tubular members, past the screw threads of a sectional casing together, the sleeve of 1 the body will first pass within the tubular member and serve as a guide to retain the two members in alinement, and when the threads engage, a complete connection of the members may be effected by rotating one or both of them without danger of an imperfeet engagement and injury to the threads. 14 denotes a circuit-closer upon the outer side of the body, which may be of any ordinary or preferred construction, preferably the circuit-closer of my Patent No. 1,122,? 77, dated Dec. 29, 1914. 15 denotes a tubular extension member for use in a standard twoeell ease (as in Fig. 1) and 16 a tubular extension member for use in a standard threecell case. These members are provided at each end with a screw thread, the thread at one end being adapted to engage the body, and the thread at the other end to be enflector being retained in place by ring 17,

which has a flange adapted to grip the edge of the lens. 21 denotes a battery cell having a center contact adapted to engage the center contact of a lamp in the usual manner. These contacts are held in engagement by means of a spring 22 in the body, upon which the inner battery cell rests.

As already stated, Fig. 1 shows a standard two-cell flashlight. If a standard three-cell flashlight is required, tubular extension member 15 is detached from the body, the lens and reflector removed therefrom, and attached to tubular extension member 16, and the latter attached to the body. The ability to make this change is often quite important, as, for temporary use,-the operator desires to have the lamp as compact as possible, while for long-continued use he requires the additional battery power. The change is easily and quickly made and in eithenform the lamp is convenient for use, as the circuit-closer is conveniently placed on the body member which is common to all the forms.

23 denotes a tubular extension member for use with aminers two-cell case (as in Fig. 3) and 24 a tubular extension member for use with a miners three-cellcase. These extension members are provided at each end with a screw thread, the thread at one end the lamp, and the lens are secured to the head by a retaining ring 26 and that the head is adapted to engage either tubular extension member in the same manner that the lens-retaining ring does in the standard type of flashlights. To make a miners two-cell flashlight case, the head is attached to tubular member 23, as in Fig. 3, and said tubular member is attached to the body. To make a miners three-cell flashlight case, the head is attached to tubular extension member 24 and then said member is attached to the body. By-providing tubular extension members 23 and 24 in addition to tubular memhers 15 and 16, I am enabled to use standard batteries in both types of flashlights.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. An improved flashlight comprising a casing formed of a main section and a detachable extension section, the main section being closed at one end, a lamp, means detachably engaging the extension section for retaining said lamp in position, a source of electrical energy within the casing and in circuit with the lamp, a contact device between the closed end of the main section and the source of energy, and a. switch carried by the main section and controlling the circuit to the lamp, said main section and said extension section being detachably connected, whereby extension sections of different lengths may be interchangeably employed and the switch and contact device carried by the main section will be undisturbed.

2. An improved flash light comprising a casing formed of a main section and a plurality of superposed extension sections detachably connected, the main section being closed at one end, a lamp, means detachably engaging one of the extension sections for retaining said lamp in position, a source of electric energy within the sections and in circuit with the lamp, a contact device between the closed end of the main section and the source of energy, and a switch carried by the main section and controlling the circuit to the lamp, said main section and said extension section being detachably connected, whereby extension sections of differcnt lengths may be interchangeably employed and the switch and contact device carried by the main section will be undisturbed.

3. An improved flashlight comprising a tubular body closed at one end, an extension member having one end detachably engaging the other end of saidbody, whereby extension members' of difl'erent lengths may be interchangeably employed, a retaining ling removably engaging the free end of the extension member, one or more batteries within the body and the extension member, the number of batteries being variable in accordance with the length of the extension member, a lamp maintained in circuit with the batteries by said retaining ring, and a circuit closer carried by said body.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ANKER S. LYHNE. 

